Like most YouTube watchers, you probably stopped thinking about Charlie and Harry, stars of the 2007 "Charlie Bit my Finger" video, as soon as the 56-second clip ended, but they actually have lives outside YouTube. As The New York Times reports in a fun check-in with the viral kids, the video's certainly made those lives more exciting. The video has already paid for Harry and Charlie Davis-Carr's college education through YouTube ad-profit sharing which has brought profits in “in excess of £100,000,” and the boys have become offline celebrities in Britain: "The family gets recognized in random places — on the subway in London; in the house, by the washing-machine repairman," according to The TImes Sarah Lyall. But of course Howard Davis-Carr, the boys' dad, has to be careful he doesn't exploit them -- at least not any more than everyone else already is:

It has been a hard line to walk. Mr. Davies-Carr did not set out to sell themed T-shirts, for instance, but did it almost as a defensive gesture in response to the marketplace. “Why on earth would anyone want to wear a ‘Charlie Bit Me’ T-shirt?” he asked rhetorically. “But I found hundreds of different people all over the world selling them already.”

In case you forgot, here's why:

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at amartin at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Adam Martin